Chapter 7
Esme watched the scenery race past her window, heart pounding so hard it almost drowned out the sound of the train. By the time they pulled into the mountain resort, dusk had already settled over the peaks.
They were about to hike up to the summit when Liam suddenly stopped. “Esme, I left something in the car. Wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, pulling her coat tighter as the cold wind whipped around her. She waited. The minutes dragged into hours–one, then two, then three.
The sky turned black. Shivering, Esme finally pulled out her phone and called Liam.
“When are you coming back?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, shaky in the howling wind.
There was only silence on the other end. Then, after what felt like forever, Liam spoke, his voice icy: “I’m not coming back. I already left. If you want to get back, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”
Her stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”
“This is your punishment.” His tone was so cold, she barely recognized him. “I told you to hold on until the baby was born. But you put abortion pills in Joy’s soup. You almost made her lose the baby. Esme, how could you do that?”
Everything inside her froze. Abortion pills? Almost lost the baby? What was he saying?
“I didn’t-!”
“Still lying?” Liam snapped. “You made the soup. Who else could it have been? Do you think Joy would hurt herself or her baby? That baby is her whole world!”
The wind lashed against her, frost settling on her eyelashes. “So you don’t believe me…”
“How can I?” His words came out flat, final. “Walk back on your own. Maybe you’ll think things over.”
The call ended. Esme stood in the snow, phone in her frozen hand, her fingertips turning purple.
Liam’s words echoed in her mind, each one sharper than the last. She remembered the day they got their marriage certificate–how he’d pinned her against the cold wall outside the registry office and whispered, “Esme, if you ever try to leave me, I’ll keep you by my side forever.”
Now he’d left her alone on a snow–covered mountain.
The wind howled louder. Esme wrapped her coat tighter and started down the mountain. Suddenly, a low, deep rumble echoed across the slopes.
1/2
Chapter 7
The busy tone of her phone blended with the roar of the storm.
Avalanche.
She spun around, but it was too late. A wave of snow crashed down, knocking her off her feet. She hit the ground hard, pain slicing through her right leg as she was buried.
Shaking, she fumbled for her phone and called Liam again. And again. On the seventh try, someone finally answered.
“Liam! There was an avalanche, I-”
“Hello?” Joy’s syrupy voice cut through the static. “Sorry, what? I can’t hear you.”
In the background, Esme heard Liam’s gentle voice. “Who’s calling?”
“Wrong number,” Joy giggled. “Mr. Mitchell, your porridge is amazing. Ever since someone tried to poison me, I feel so much better with you cooking.”
A chunk of ice slammed into Esme’s back, and she collapsed, the cold swallowing her up.
Right before everything went dark, she saw a memory–her wedding day. Liam on one knee, promising her, “Esme, if I ever let you down in this life, may I-”
Snow began to fall, soft and silent, covering every word left unsaid.
01.12
